Last week, I highlighted the need for adults, especially parents and guardians to understand how children and teens might respond to stressful traumatic events like COVID-19. Today, I want to share some useful tips to help children and teens talk about their concerns, fears and how they’re handling day-to-day life. According to experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), when “parents and caregivers deal with the COVID-19 calmly and confidently, they can provide the best support for their children. Parents can be more reassuring to others around them, especially children if they are better prepared.”1

Honestly people, how are you doing, are you getting a handle on your “new normal”? When someone mentions the term, COVID-19, does your heart start beating faster, is there a sense of panic? Are you wondering what’s next? You are certainly not alone! People just like you and I, all around the globe are facing unthinkable circumstances and situations. Can you imagine the impact traumatic stress has upon children and teens? How are they perceiving and adjusting to what is happening in their families, social circles or neighborhoods? How will this prolonged physical and social isolation change our lives, interactions and ability to cope down the road?

Last week, I briefly talked about how important it is to maintain healthy nutrition in order to mount an adequate immune response. In this final installment, I want to tackle the relationship between micronutrients and immunologic strength. You might be wondering exactly how does my dietary intake influence my body’s ability to defend itself which is also known as immunity.

Researchers Childs, Calder and Miles (2019) asserted that “adequate and appropriate nutrition is required for all cells to function optimally and this includes the cells in the immune system. An “activated” immune system further increases the demand for energy during periods of infection, with greater basal energy expenditure during fever for example [as seen with people infected with COVID-19]…”1

The relationship between adequate intake of micronutrients and immunological outcomes cannot be overstated or ignored. The “… integrated immune system needs multiple specific micronutrients, including vitamins A, D, C, E, B6, and B12, folate, zinc, iron, copper, and selenium, which play vital, often synergistic roles at every stage of the immune response.”2 This interplay between micronutrients and the complex cells and processes of the immune system allows our body to constantly defend itself to maintain overall wellness and health.3

Earlier this week, you read about the impact stress has upon our metabolic requirements and the need for people to eat healthy foods. Our daily dietary intake influences how our bodies are able to mount an effective immune response against unwanted pathogens like COVID-19. Today, we’ll examine the connection between eating healthy dietary proteins and the effectiveness and availability of our gut to optimize immune integrity.

“The intestine serves not only as the main site of nutrient absorption and amino acid metabolism,…but [gut immunity actually refers to GALT aka gut-associated lymphoid tissue which is] the largest immune organ in the body of humans and domestic animals, [it] contains a variety of immune cell types…The requirement for protein to support the immune system is well established. [The Merriam-Webster e-dictionary defines amino acids as the primary elements of proteins that are made by living cells or are derived from the chemical breakdown of foods containing proteins.] These amino acids each have unique properties that include, maintaining the integrity, growth and function of the intestine”1 along with regulating specific immune chemicals, pathways and processes that affects the body’s response to cellular injury and trauma or to invading pathogens like the virus implicated in COVID-19 cases.

Established research has shown that “protein deficiency suppresses the immune response and increases susceptibility to infection. In fact, protein energy malnutrition is hypothesized to be the leading contributor to immune deficiency globally.”2

How has the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home order impacted your mood, health, exercise pace and relationships? Have you begrudgingly made the unexpected shift from driving to and from work to now attending virtual meetings in your pajamas or maybe your gym clothes? How are you protecting your physical and immunologic health? Just wondering out loud…have you found yourself snacking more and exercising less?

“These cities [in China] banned public gatherings, closed entertainment venues and suspended public transport, among other actions. As a result, they reported 33% fewer confirmed cases during the first week of their outbreaks than cities that did not implement a Level 1 Response.”1 according to Christopher Dye, a visiting professor/fellow from the University of Oxford.

On Monday, March 30, 2020, Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order to reduce the spread of this infectious viral respiratory disease. A stay-at-home order is a method of separating a person or group of individuals who have been or presumed to have been exposed to COVID-19 but may or may not be experiencing or showing symptoms of infection.2